“Ah-choo—!”
Lai Li’an shrank his neck and pulled the once-impressive long robe tighter around himself.
He was fairly certain he was going to die.
Not in some grand, epic battle—but by freezing to death.
Lai Li’an breathed out a puff of white mist, which was instantly scattered by the biting wind. He looked around, and everywhere he turned, there was nothing but white—a vast, desolate wasteland.
He had been walking for who knows how long. Originally, he had clung to a beautiful fantasy: find a cultivator settlement, show off his alchemy skills, earn a position, and then make his way back to Wan’er.
What a perfect plan.
What an… unrealistic fantasy.
He couldn’t even see a single soul out here. Where was he supposed to find a cultivator settlement? And even if he did, in his current state, who would believe he was an Alchemy Grandmaster?
They’d probably chase him off like a beggar.
“My Wan’er, waaah, come save your Master.”
Lai Li’an let out a bitter laugh and dragged his heavy feet forward.
Snowflakes landed on his eyelashes, blurring his vision.
!
A very fast, rapid sound approached from behind.
It was swift and urgent, charging straight at him. Lai Li’an’s heart leaped, and he turned around on instinct.
Then he saw a little girl running toward him, holding a wooden stick.
Her small frame was wrapped in a worn, gray quilted coat. She looked to be no more than eleven or twelve, petite in stature, with a rabbit-fur hat on her head. Under the brim peeked a round, chubby face. Her eyes were big and round—if not for the wooden stick in her hand, her face could only be described as “innocent and guileless.”
At this moment, she was holding the stick up, frozen in a sneak-attack pose, completely rooted to the spot.
And Lai Li’an was staring back at her with wide eyes.
The two of them locked eyes in an awkward standoff.
The air seemed to solidify.
[Target detected, analyzing…]
[Name: Ye Xiaotang]
[Cultivation: Early Foundation Establishment Stage]
[Spirit Root: Top-grade Earth Spirit Root]
Lai Li’an’s pupils contracted slightly, and then a wave of ecstasy surged through him.
Hahahaha! No effort needed at all! In this snowfield where even a ghost couldn’t be found, he actually ran into a cultivator!
Sure, she was only at Early Foundation Establishment, but she was still a cultivator!
Way better than a mortal!
Ahem, time to show off the real skills.
Lai Li’an took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the bone-chilling cold that was about to kill him. He straightened his back a little, lifted his chin slightly, curled his lips into an inscrutable smile, and let his gaze turn deep and distant.
In that instant, he was no longer the pitiful wretch shivering from the cold, but the wandering, unfathomable Senior Lai.
Ye Xiaotang’s eyes narrowed slightly.
She sized up the man before her. His aura was so weak it was almost imperceptible, but he was probably a cultivator.
A wandering sect disciple who got lost?
Ye Xiaotang’s eyes darted around, and the awkward expression on her face was instantly replaced by a sweet smile.
She discreetly hid the wooden stick behind her back, tilted her head, and spoke with a soft, syrupy voice that made her sound just like the girl next door.
“Fellow Daoist, why are you all alone out here?”
Lai Li’an stood with his hands clasped behind his back, chin lifted, gazing into the distance with a profound look, and spoke in a weary, world-weary tone.
“This… this Venerable Self is wandering—”
“Ah-choo—!”
A thunderous sneeze, complete with a snot bubble, shattered the air of a master he had been cultivating for so long.
Ye Xiaotang’s smile froze on her face.
She looked at this man before her, shivering all over with snot running down his face, and the light in her eyes shifted little by little.
Dressed nicely enough, but in this state, he was clearly about to freeze to death.
Ye Xiaotang’s smile completely vanished.
She pulled the wooden stick back out from behind her back, weighed it in her hand, and then took a step toward Lai Li’an.
Lai Li’an saw her face change faster than a page being flipped, and alarm bells rang loud in his head.
“W-Wait a second!”
He took a step back and stumbled, nearly falling over.
Ye Xiaotang didn’t give him a chance to speak. She swung the wooden stick and cracked it right over Lai Li’an’s head.
Thud!
The sound echoed across the empty snowfield.
Lai Li’an’s eyes went wide, his vision went black, and he toppled straight over.
Face-first, he crashed into the snow, kicking up a spray of white powder.
Ye Xiaotang leaned on the wooden stick, standing over him, looking down at the motionless man sprawled on the ground.
She curled her lip.
“And here I thought you were some kind of expert.”
Ye Xiaotang crouched down and began looting the spoils.
First, she flipped Lai Li’an over. His face was pale from the cold, his lips blue—he looked utterly pitiful.
Ye Xiaotang felt not a shred of sympathy. She rubbed her hands together and then rummaged through him without hesitation.
“No storage bag? Is it hidden inside?”
She kept searching.
Pockets. Nothing.
She checked his cuffs, his collar, his boots, even tore open his belt to look.
Nothing.
No spirit stones, no elixir pills, no magic artifacts, nothing of any value.
Ye Xiaotang crouched beside Lai Li’an, her expression shifting from confusion to disbelief.
“What the heck?!”
She shot to her feet and stomped her foot in frustration.
“I thought you were some disciple from a big sect out on a journey, walking through this frozen wasteland dressed like some big shot, but—”
She looked down at the unconscious man on the ground with utter disdain.
“But you’re poorer than me!”
Ye Xiaotang put her hands on her hips, chest heaving with anger. She was clearly furious.
She had originally come out to hunt, and on the way, she’d run into this guy with an unusual aura. She thought she’d hit the jackpot, but she got nothing. And on the way back, she runs into this guy—and this is it? This is it?!
“Pfft!”
She spat at Lai Li’an on the ground.
“Wasting my time.”
She turned and started to walk away.
After a few steps, she suddenly stopped.
The wind and snow howled around her, snowflakes landing on her rabbit-fur hat and gathering in a thin layer.
She stood there, back to Lai Li’an, completely still.
Ye Xiaotang bit her lip, then let out a long sigh.
“Fine, fine.”
She muttered, bending down to haul Lai Li’an up from the snow.
“I rob the rich to help the poor, not murder people.”
She draped one of his arms over her shoulder, using her small frame to carry a man a head taller than her, trudging off in one direction.
“Besides, I caught nothing today, so wouldn’t I be wasting the whole trip?”
She muttered as she walked, as if convincing herself.
“Yeah, that’s it. It’s not that I’m soft-hearted. I just don’t want to work for nothing.”
“Rob the rich to help the poor, right? If I can’t rob the rich, I can’t just let someone die, can I?”
“This is… this is called professional ethics.”
Her voice drifted in and out amid the wind and snow. Lai Li’an’s head rested on her shoulder as his consciousness slowly sank into darkness.
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